Entomology Lives At Cornell

Your recent article on the impact of state budget cuts on academic science researchers (Renee Twombly, The Scientist, May 25, 1992, page 1) paraphrases statements made by David Call, dean of Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, to the effect that at Cornell, "The entomology department has been wiped out" and "no one [is] doing research on insects and pests."

As chairman of the department of entomology at Cornell, I can assure you that in spite of very serious budget reductions, we retain one of the finest entomological research units in the world. The department has 18 faculty members with diverse research interests, including systematics, ecology, insect pest management, and population genetics. We have recently recruited faculty in medical entomology, integrated pest management, and physiology. Beyond this number, several adjunct professors from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and Boyce Thompson Research Institute in...